


i'm missing your smile

by likeuwuahh



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: Christmas, F/F, Kinda angsty tbh, Long-Distance Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:09:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28188978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/likeuwuahh/pseuds/likeuwuahh
Summary: jeongyeon's exhausted. her long-distance relationship with jihyo seems to be fraying. all she wants for christmas is to be with her girlfriend like they used to.so close to giving up, but her final project about love makes her rethink it all.
Relationships: Park Jisoo | Jihyo/Yoo Jeongyeon, minor chaeyu - Relationship, minor minayeon - Relationship, minor samo ft baby dahyun
Comments: 3
Kudos: 178





	i'm missing your smile

_ “it’s been over a week since i last talked to you jihyo. can’t you take some time out to talk?” _

_ “please understand that it’s really busy for me here. i can barely manage to take time out because of our time difference. i’m really doing my best here jeongyeon.” _

_ “i feel like it’s not enough. i try to call you every day.” _

_ “i don’t have that luxury! it’s stressful for me here. i thought you understood.” _

_ “it’s just… sometimes i think it’s me trying to work this long-distance relationship between us these days. i’m tired jihyo.” _

jeongyeon hangs up their phone call, the exhaustion sinking into her bones. she knows she shouldn’t have lashed out at jihyo like that, however, their relationship has been feeling extremely one-sided lately. later, she’ll apologise to jihyo about the whole fuss and then the cycle will repeat in the future. she doesn’t want to keep doing this. it hurts her to be so far away. she knows she should be more understanding but her patience is waning.

if there’s one piece of advice jeongyeon would be allowed to give to the couples around the world, it would be to  _ deeply _ consider all the positives and negatives of pursuing a long-distance relationship. while jeongyeon and her girlfriend felt like they’d gone through them all, it seems that they’ve missed one massive problem. it’s not that she regrets the decision, but as the years pass by, the lack of jihyo’s presence is beginning to take a major toll on her. being together for almost ten years now, jeongyeon admits that the past four years have been the hardest to persevere through.

a beneficial offer for jeongyeon to pursue her love for journalism abroad had been had been more than enough reason for jihyo to encourage her to move.

jeongyeon thinks that’s where the benefits end and the impediments begin. jihyo remains in seoul while jeongyeon temporarily rents with another foreign student in the united kingdom. there’s a lengthy nine-hour difference between the two of them. half the time they call each other, the other is extremely exhausted. and that alone is the biggest problem for jeongyeon to overcome.

at first, it had been easy. frequent calls to each other and meeting during breaks in the year meant that they could still be as disgustingly cute (in her friends’ terms) as they always were. setting alarms meant they could coordinate times to talk to each other.

then, they both picked up jobs while still studying and everything became a lot more hectic. from calling three to four times a week, it became once. now, they’ve gone from once a week to once a fortnight and the longing to be in jihyo’s arms has quadrupled.

jeongyeon sighs as she looks at her phone, the call log showcasing all of the missed calls to her girlfriend. it’s been almost a week since she’s last managed to get a hold of her ever since that call and that too had been a short one. the long-distance decision that they’d made, the one which they’ve been working hard to maintain the past four years is now beginning to crumble. as they come towards the end of the year, there’s a painful ache building up in jeongyeon’s chest.

usually, the thought of christmas brings joy to jeongyeon. christmas means maybe returning back to seoul for a nice long break with jihyo. it’s  _ their _ thing. or, it  _ was _ their thing. back when they got together, they celebrated christmas together every year. christmas had always been the highlight. it meant that they spend their time cuddling on the sofa watching silly seasonal movies that are more cringe than cute. it meant they decorate their tree together with stupid ornaments that reminded them of each other. it’s all about the incredibly gruelling task of hiding their presents from each other. jeongyeon finds it difficult to fathom being unable to do that with jihyo and there’s an incredibly high chance this year, she’ll have to forgo it all as well, just like the previous years.

the realisation of their situation washes over her like a bucket of ice cold water. jeongyeon will most likely be spending her christmas alone, without jihyo. there’s a little over a week until christmas and undoubtedly, jeongyeon will be unable to pull any strings to leave the country to at least visit her instead. especially not when work has them both so pre-occupied. she wouldn’t even be able to spend that time with the most important person in her life.

she understands it all, though. the end of the year means final assessments and projects. and with jihyo also interning at her new job, juggling everything will be terribly messy. luck seems to be out of their hands this year.

the door opens to her room, jeongyeon’s roommate returning from her classes, presumably. as much as she wants to pop her head out to see how it went, she’d rather cocoon herself in her blanket fortress. and to also hide from the scolding she’ll receive if she’s caught staring at her phone again. somewhere in the last year or so, jeongyeon grew closer with her and now she has a baby sister to coddle.

“jeong, are you  _ really _ hiding?”

a heartbeat later, the blankets are ripped off her and she’s greeted with the sight of her roommate, raising an eyebrow at her poor attempt.

“let me be chaeng.” jeongyeon sighs, covering her eyes with her elbow.

“another missed call?”

all she can respond with is a meek nod. chaeyoung quickly engulfs her in a hug, surrounding her in what she needs most. the little bit of affection takes her by surprise but jeongyeon is utterly grateful that chaeyoung is willing to showcase her soft side to her like this.

“now how come i get to see the clingy side of you today?” jeongyeon teases chaeyoung, patting her head. she knows her roommate is about to argue but she cuts in before she earns herself another earful. “thank you.”

“look at you being sappy.” chaeyoung quips as she rolls her eyes. “oh, by the way, have you picked your partner for the end of semester assessment? i know you were stressing over it for the past week. maybe it’s a good idea to get started on that now.”

jeongyeon grumbles as soon as the task is mentioned. she has a video segment to record for the end of the semester and she needs a partner, a host. of course, their theme has to be awfully cute; love. and right now, jeongyeon isn’t in any mood to shoot or watch people vocalise their feelings when she’s bitter about her own relationship.

though, she’s worked hard all year, she can’t let this one assessment bring her down. once this is finished, jeongyeon can return back to seoul. that’s the one thing that’s been her driving force and she’s sure it’ll be more than enough to push her to cross the finish line. before, being with jihyo was something that she’d wanted – now, it’s a necessity.

“not yet. i should get a jump on it but i don’t know who to ask for help.” jeongyeon knows chaeyoung can hear the lie in her voice, but she doesn’t call her out on it.

“well, maybe if you actually opened the discussion forum, you’ll find people waiting.” chaeyoung rolls her eyes. “or, i can make it easy for you. my girlfriend needs a partner for the project as well. she needs an audio-visual technician, whatever that is. she’s good with being the one to talk.”

“audio visuals are behind the camera. they make sure everything is in the right place for recording. with the microphone and stuff.” jeongyeon gives the short version of the job detail. “tzuyu hasn’t found anyone yet? i thought she’d have people lining up.”

“so, that means you don’t have to interact with people?” chaeyoung nods along, understanding. “hey, that’s perfect then. you don’t have to question others about their love lives. and as for the people, i kind of chased them all away.”

it  _ does _ seem like a win-win situation for jeongyeon, if she’s to be honest. she’ll be listening in, but it’s unnecessary for her to be the one at the front, conversing with strangers.

“oh, of course. and does tzuyu know about it? i assume not. you can tell her i’ll be her partner. hopefully, it’ll be completed in the next week. that way i can breathe for my holidays.”

“don’t rub it in my face. graphic designers never get a break. we’re creating sketches every single day and people still want things done for christmas.”

“i can’t wait to relax when i’m done. imagine all the shows i can binge watch.”

“okay, now you’re just being a pain.”

/

when jeongyeon meets tzuyu, they sort out the details of their jobs quite quickly. it all runs smoothly, even when it comes to the discussion regarding the location, which she’d thought she’d have a problem with. she likes tzuyu’s idea, choosing to go to the airport. jeongyeon finds her faith in love quite adorable. her eyes shine when she talks about meeting chaeyoung – the one in her destiny. she goes on and on about how there’s a perfect partner out there waiting, your other half.

“i think we all have someone waiting for us out there. someone who will love us like we deserve. someone to spoil us rotten, to be with us in the darkest of days. to cheer us up and stand by us. a soulmate.”

_ soulmate _ .

jeongyeon’s smile dims. a part of her heart chips away and the ache bubbles up beneath her chest. what would her christmas be like if she could spend it with her other half?

no, she’s not going to dwell on it. she locks the thought away, deep into the caves of her mind. she refuses to pile this on herself when she can meet jihyo later. jeongyeon will never risk losing what she has for her girlfriend. she’s going to finish this project and she’s going to return to korea and hold on to jihyo for the rest of her life.

it takes this conversation with tzuyu for jeongyeon to realise the truth. this whole time, she’s been focusing on the negatives when she should be doing the opposite. she should be having faith in them. in how they’ve weathered through countless storms along the way to be where they are today. in how they’ve had each other’s backs. in how they’ve loved each other endlessly – like the universe is shared between them. like it’s  _ theirs  _ and only theirs _. _

whatever happens, they’re always in it together. they’ve worked so hard, come so far. how can she let their hard work and efforts go to waste?

jeongyeon is not turning back anymore.

/

the night of christmas eve, the two of them are setting up for their project at the airport. they’re right by the exit, tzuyu suggesting that it’ll be the best angle for the reunions. jeongyeon agrees, organising the camera and microphone placement for tzuyu. she doesn’t need to do much herself. basically, she’s in-charge of the audio once the camera is set up. tzuyu’s the one doing the most here since she’ll be approaching people to interview.

“we’re all set.” jeongyeon points to the camera mark on the ground. tzuyu nods as she offers her a thumbs-up in return.

she listens in as tzuyu mumbles about finding anyone interesting. jeongyeon follows her line of sight, finding a small group of people by the exit. there’s one woman there who’s holding a bunch of flowers and looking awfully anxious.

“how about the girl with the flowers?” jeongyeon tilts her head in the direction. tzuyu nods, approaching her to talk.

watching on, she smiles at the rapid change of emotions that flash across her face. from confusion to being serious to pure happiness.

“hi, my name is mina. i’m waiting for my wife to return from overseas.” the girl introduces herself shyly, still a little nervous being in front of the camera.

“thank you for joining us mina. i was wondering who you were waiting for here, if you don’t mind me asking?” tzuyu oozes confidence as she begins interviewing. jeongyeon is amazed by the quick shift to her professional nature.

“so, my wife is returning from overseas. i wanted to surprise her with a little present.” mina shows off her flowers. “usually, she’s the one who does things like this. i thought it would be nice if i turn things around for once this time around. nayeon loves over-spoiling me ever since we moved here and i love it, but i think i should be doing it more often. she refuses to let me do it.”

“did you move to live here a while ago?”

“it’s been a bit more than four years. we weren’t married at that time though, that happened last year. nayeon wanted to move here because of her work and we didn’t know if we should stay together. our parents encouraged us to move in together here and we took their advice. it’s hard to deal with it at certain times, if i’m to be honest. she leaves for work frequently and i’m often alone. i don’t like letting go of her. her trips are short though and that keeps me going – knowing that i’ll be able to have her in my arms again.”

“have you been waiting here for a while? i assume her flight has landed.”

mina laughs, nodding. “honestly, i’m always worried i’ll miss out on these things if i don’t come early. i’ve been waiting for an hour before her flight even arrived. and, yes. her flight has landed. she should be exiting soon, hopefully.”

“how did you two begin dating?”

“that’s a long story but i can try to give the short version.” mina’s smile grows as she begins retelling. “we met in high school when i just transferred to the school. nayeon was the class president and it was her job to take me around the school and all. we grew a lot closer because of that and nayeon often walked me home. i could tell she always had something to say, but never tried to say it. it turns out that was her attempts of confessing to me.”

“thank you for your time and words, mina.” tzuyu ends the conversation when she spots people come through the exit.

almost five minutes later, the two watch as mina perks up, running to someone in the new crowd of passengers. her wife, nayeon, is there, catching her in her arms and spinning them around. she blushes when mina hands her the flowers before planting a kiss on mina’s forehead. witnessing such a private moment is enough of a reason for jeongyeon to rip her eyes away from the sight. her memories with jihyo begin to edge into her mind and uneasiness falls to the pit of her stomach. as miserable as she feels, jeongyeon keeps away from the current of negativity drawing her in.

when mina spoke about her relationship with nayeon, jeongyeon couldn’t help but reflect on her own. on how jihyo and her came to be. how it started with the two of them meeting when they’d just started school and being inseparable since. except, jeongyeon didn’t have the guts to confess her feelings until middle school. she thought she was going to lose jihyo and took a calculated risk and confessed. knowing each other like the back of their palms, their relationship already had a solid base. jeongyeon just had to try to tease jihyo less and shower her with love more.

she’d been doing a good job with that, jeongyeon thinks. that is, until they chose to do this long-distance relationship. she wants it back. 

“how many more people should we interview? i think two more sounds reasonable to me.” tzuyu wanders back to jeongyeon to double-check, breaking her out of her thoughts.

“that sounds good, pretty reasonable. i doubt they expect us to be interviewing a lot of people. a ten-minute video wouldn’t have enough time to compensate for that.” jeongyeon chuckles. “you did an amazing job there, by the way.”

“right back at you with the fast setup and all. you’re a great partner.” tzuyu compliments with utter sincerity.

the crowd around them shifts and tzuyu moves back to her spot, attempting to find another suitable person to interview. with the number of people exiting, jeongyeon assumes she’ll be plucking her next victim from them.

it ends up being a family of three that tzuyu draws towards the camera. there’s a little girl fast asleep in one of the women’s arms, exhaustion written across her face. from the way it looks, the other seems like she’s a buzzing ball of energy and most likely the one who said yes to tzuyu.

“would you like to introduce yourself?”

“i’m sana, this grumpy person here is my wife, momo. the little one who’s asleep is our daughter, dahyun. we’ve had a long flight from japan and it tired them out plenty, so i hope you can excuse them.” sana smiles despite hearing momo grumble.

“are you returning from somewhere?” tzuyu directs the conversation to sana, seeming as she’s the only one who wanted to talk.

“actually, we’re here for a holiday. we wanted to celebrate my wife’s birthday early. so, i thought it would be a good idea to come here.” momo answers instead, wrapping an arm around her wife who rewards her with a kiss on her cheek. dahyun shuffles in her arms but momo moves her arms to make her more comfortable. “she’s been busy with work since it’s the end of the year. it’s the least i could do, treat her to something she deserves.”

“how long have you been married for? of course, if you’re okay with answering.”

“definitely okay. it’ll be ten years in april next year. we grew up together since we were neighbours. she pretended to hate me for half our teenage years.” sana laughs as she talks about momo. “actually, she chose to propose to me with a candy ring. i thought it was incredibly cute.”

“i did not. i just didn’t know to approach you and tell you about my feelings. ignoring was the better choice.” momo mutters under her breath. “you say that like you confessed first.”

“anyway, we chose to have dahyun five years ago.” sana cuts off wherever momo intended to go with her words. “she’s the most precious part of our lives, our sunshine. now we want to make some cherished memories with her before she starts school next year. we’re not quite ready for that.”

the words throw jeongyeon into a series of thoughts she’d stored away for later. dreams that she wants to make true. seeing jihyo walk down the aisle. exchanging rings. if jeongyeon hadn’t moved here, would they have been married by now? would they have gone to bali for their destination wedding like jihyo had jokingly asked for? jeongyeon would love to make it happen. she smiles at she thinks of it all. a possibility of having a mini jihyo wreaking havoc in their home. spoiling their little kid and finding it incredibly hard to keep a straight face when one of them has to be the evil parent.

they could have had this. no, they  _ can _ have this. it can be in their future.

“do you have anything planned? any places you want to go?”

“dahyun is still small and finding appropriate places to take her is a little difficult. i heard about some christmas events going around. maybe we’ll check out legoland with her.” momo looks down to the girl in her arms as she speaks. the gentle way she cradles her daughter warms jeongyeon’s heart.

“i hope you guys have a wonderful holiday.” tzuyu wraps up the interview quickly, realising she’s taken a large chunk of their time. “thank you so much for talking to us.”

when tzuyu returns, jeongyeon forces her to sit down and take a break before their last interview. honestly, hearing the people talk about their relationships made jeongyeon’s residing feelings worse. she would sacrifice  _ everything _ to be there with jihyo. but jihyo will not be happy and that’s the only thing that matters to jeongyeon.

“you seem out of it. something on your mind?” tzuyu asks as she sips the overpriced banana milk she bought from the convenience store.

“just tired. it’s been a long day.” jeongyeon sighs. lying is easier than explaining the whole story behind it.

“how about you just sit down for the last interview? i’m sure i can deal with all my own anyway. i’ll try to keep it short.” tzuyu offers. it’s incredibly sweet and considerate of her but jeongyeon can’t let her do that.

“we’re almost there, let’s finish this together.” jeongyeon smiles appreciatingly. “you’re super sweet to consider that though.”

tzuyu nods and stands up, moving to her spot again. jeongyeon takes the chance to close her eyes for a few seconds, wanting to give herself a mini break.

“hi! thank you for choosing to join us. i’m sorry about the timing, we’ll keep it quick.” tzuyu begins her final interview. “what brings you here today?”

“well, i want to surprise my girlfriend. i’ve barely talked to her the past few months because i wanted to save up to visit her personally. been busy running around and working crazy number of jobs. you see, we have this yearly  _ tradition _ , i guess you can call it. we spend our christmas together. usually, she flies over to see me but i thought i’d be the one to do it this time.”

jeongyeon’s eyes shoot open upon as she hears the familiar voice. is she hearing things now? but, she can’t mistake it. she knows it too well. oh, now she feels guttered. she’d really wanted to surprise her the entire time and jeongyeon hadn’t been understanding enough of what jihyo had been trying to do. she has  _ so _ much to make up for.

“sorry, i didn’t get your name.”

“jihyo.”

jeongyeon walks quietly towards tzuyu, watching in pure shock as her girlfriend stands in front of the camera. she still hasn’t noticed her presence and jeongyeon doesn’t want to break it yet, letting tzuyu have her moment.

“how do you see your partner? what are your favourite things about her?”

“even though there are times where she’s close to losing her patience, she tries to understand. i’m envious of that about her, actually. she has a big heart. forgives very quickly. she’s caring.” jihyo pauses to take a breath. “one memory i always keep with me is when we were out on a date, it suddenly started raining. she reminded me to grab my umbrella from the house, but i refused. so, we didn’t have one to share like always. now, she should’ve scolded me and teased me about it. said  _ ‘i told you so’ _ but she didn’t. instead, she pulled her jacket off and covered my head with it. when i asked her why, she said that it’s better i don’t get sick so that i can take care of her later.”

she remembers that date. it was one of their first ones. they were headed to a cafe after school. jeongyeon had been sick for a few days after and jihyo had kept to her word and taken care of her.

“i would say that my all-time favourite thing about her is her hugs. after a long day of school or work, it’s like i get recharged in her arms. i know it’s cheesy but she’s like my safe place. somewhere i know i can always be comfortable. i might just slide into her arms out of nowhere and she lets me. i don’t think she even realises that sometimes she absentmindedly kisses my head when she hugs me. i think that’s the best bonus, so i do try and take advantage of that as much as i can.” jihyo giggles as she continues to ramble on about jeongyeon. “but also, when she concentrates real hard on things she enjoys, like building her lego sets, she has this cute little frown. i could watch her work on it for hours. she’s in her own world and it’s adorable.”

jeongyeon thinks deeply about what jihyo says. does she really kiss jihyo as much as she claims? she’ll keep doing that if it keeps that smile on jihyo’s face.

“thank you, jihyo. now, i have just one last question for you. all the trouble you’ve gone to meet her. the extra jobs, flying here without her knowledge. coming to a completely strange country with no one you know. is she worth it?” tzuyu’s question leaves jeongyeon awaiting with bated breath.

“more than this world. this is only a tiny fraction of what i would do for her. she’s incredibly amazing, inside and out. she’s loved me for years and years, unconditionally. she thinks i hate her jokes but she definitely has good humour. i have to downplay it so it doesn’t rise to her head.” jihyo chuckles, shaking her head. 

jeongyeon’s eyes water, overwhelmed with the beautiful words leaving her girlfriend’s mouth. 

“this time without her has been the absolute worst since i’ve had to ignore her calls because of work. we’ve had our share of fights and arguments over it. i think most of it has stemmed from not being able to see each other. i can’t wait to change that. she’s always the one who flies out to meet me, i think that’s what pushed me the most to do this. and honestly, i don’t know where i’d be without her. so,  _ yes _ . she’s worth it.”

her face warms up as jihyo finishes answering the question. before tzuyu can continue, jeongyeon rushes forward, cradling her girlfriend’s face between her hands to kiss her. it’s urgent, impatient. laced with the need to be closer. months of being apart, months of missing each other so much. she wants to make up for all of it. jihyo threads her fingers in jeongyeon’s hair, scratching her scalp lightly and is left incapable of keeping the groan from escaping her lips.

it brings them to their senses and jeongyeon pulls back just enough to place a tender kiss on jihyo’s forehead. she’s quick to reciprocate, burrowing herself into jeongyeon’s arms and hugging her tightly. it’s insane that the love of her life is in her arms right now. she can barely comprehend it all. the most valuable aspect. the only person that matters to her. jihyo really went through months of hard work to meet her here, to surprise her. jeongyeon is and will always be the luckiest person in the world to have the love of this woman.

she’ll treasure it forever.

as they separate, jeongyeon slips her hand through jihyo’s, holding on securely. she looks to tzuyu who’s gazing at them with unadulterated affection.

“now i understand why you didn’t seem too keen on my thoughts about love. it was jihyo’s lack of presence.” tzuyu grins, teasing jeongyeon. “like i said. you always have someone waiting for you. your soulmate.”

jeongyeon nods, looking over to her girlfriend.  _ her soulmate. _

“also, i’ll pack up, don’t worry. you two head home. i’m sure there’s a lot for you guys to talk about.” tzuyu waves them off, only for jeongyeon to shake her head.

“let me help you.” jeongyeon reaches for the camera to pack it up but tzuyu shakes her head. “then, at least let me call chaeyoung to help you?”

it seems tzuyu knows jeongyeon won’t give up easily, so she caves. jeongyeon rushes to call chaeyoung to the airport and she’s with them, fifteen minutes later.

“hi jihyo, it’s really nice to meet you. i wish i had more time to introduce myself but i’m  _ really _ glad you’re here. she’s been insufferable without you.” chaeyoung pats jeongyeon’s back before whispering in her ear. “also, i’m not coming back to the apartment tonight on purpose. make the most of it.”

her cheeks turn red at her words and she shoves chaeyoung hard, ignoring her boisterous laughter. never a moment of peace with her.

“you’re probably tired, right? let’s go.” jeongyeon moves to leave, still refusing to let go of jihyo’s hand. “oh, and chaeyoung, i know  _ why  _ you’re telling me you’re not going to be in the apartment later.” she points to tzuyu, who has their back to her as she packs up.

before she can be teased some more, she hurries out of the airport with jihyo by her side. jeongyeon can’t wait to get home, hold her in her arms and not let go.

/

as she wakes up on christmas morning, warmth surrounds jeongyeon. jihyo is comfortably snuggling against her, still fast asleep. a part of her feels like the night before had been a fever dream. yet, here she is, blessed with what she’s been missing. her other half. jeongyeon tucks jihyo’s hair behind her ear, plants a kiss on the side of her temple. she grumbles a little but settles down again, clinging onto jeongyeon even more.

she doesn’t think she’s slept this well since she’d been with jihyo at the start of the year. though, as satisfying as it is lazing around in bed, it’s almost midday, probably a good time for them to leave bed.

“baby, wake up.” jeongyeon tries to stir her from her sleep. it doesn’t have much of an effect. she forgets how deeply her girlfriend sleeps sometimes. “baby.” she pokes jihyo’s cheeks this time and it works, slightly. only enough to make her whine and swat her hands away.

jeongyeon chuckles, choosing to change tactics. she knows this will work. she peppers kisses all over jihyo’s face, starting from her forehead all the way to her chin. she doesn’t stop until jihyo sighs in defeat.

“yoo jeongyeon.”

“hi.”

“you woke me up to say hi?”

“it’s almost twelve in the afternoon.”

“oh my god. why didn’t you wake me up sooner?”

she rolls her eyes as the question and rolls over, reaching into her drawer. jeongyeon pulls out a glass case. she didn’t think she’d be able to give jihyo her present this year for christmas, but she’s glad she bought this now.

“i didn’t gift wrap it and i didn’t have enough time to get more presents like usual.” jeongyeon mumbles as she pulls out the black necklace from the case. jihyo is already sitting up, looking at her curiously. “merry christmas, jihyo-yah.”

carefully, she puts the necklace around jihyo’s neck, watching her fawn over its beauty. she kisses jeongyeon in gratitude, cradling the gift between her fingers.

“i feel bad for not getting you a present now.” jihyo frowns, disappointment laced in her voice.

“you already gave me the best present i could ask for.” jeongyeon pushes a finger to clear the crease between her eyebrows. “you gave me you. that’s more than enough.”

jihyo wraps her arms around jeongyeon. “i love you jeongyeonie.”

“i love you too.” jeongyeon kisses the top of her head. “let’s wash up. we have a long list of christmas movies to watch. and then maybe we can run to the shops to get a little tree. the place looks so lonely without one.”

jihyo nods eagerly and slides out of the bed, taking jeongyeon with her. her laughter echoes through the room. makes her feel like she’s at home. well, jihyo  _ is _ her home.

later, they cuddle on the couch, legs intertwined and holding cups of hot chocolate (filled with more marshmallows and whipped cream than anything else). they watch their favourite silly christmas movies and jihyo is tucked comfortably against jeongyeon the entire time, both moulded to fit perfectly. three movies are too many for them, they don’t manage to finish the last one.

“what about the christmas tree? how are we going to get one?” jihyo points to an empty space in the room.

eventually, the christmas tree is also brought back and even though it’s as tiny as it is, they decorate it to their hearts’ content.

“did you really just hang a donut up there? gross.” jihyo grimaces as she hangs a sock on the other end.

“you’re literally hanging up a sock jihyo. a donut is nothing in comparison.” jeongyeon gasps, offended by jihyo’s reaction.

“what else do you expect me to hang on there?” jihyo huffs.

“what if i hang you up there?” jeongyeon runs off before she finishes her question. jihyo chases her until she has nowhere to go. gives her hell, but gives her some kisses too.

(jeongyeon doesn’t tell jihyo that she picked up a random tree off the road somewhere because all the shops were closed on christmas)

despite not being able to hide presents like they usually do, jeongyeon doesn’t mind. these moments they share are far more valuable. spending time with her other half, her soulmate. completely invaluable. this is the best christmas jeongyeon’s ever had. this is the best christmas present jeongyeon’s ever gotten.

the best christmas – the one where she shares it with jihyo.

and she wouldn’t trade it for the world.

**Author's Note:**

> @likeuwuahh on twitter


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